2022 Season – Higher Ground | The Song Company

H GHER GROUND 2022 SEASON

HIGHER GROUND

Welcome to The Song Company’s 2022 Season, Higher Ground, where your spirit will be lifted with exceptional ensemble singing by Australia’s elite national chamber vocal ensemble across a range of smaller- and larger-scale vocal music.

Seeking refuge by moving ever higher is an instinct deep within the human psyche. Together, we will discover shelter and meaning in the exquisite and intricate works of the polyphonic masters of the Renaissance, and as loved and imitated by later generations of composers such as Buxtehude and Brahms.

Antony Pitts Artistic Director

Francis Greep General Manager & Associate Artistic Director 2

MAINSTAGE

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THE SONG COMPANY IN FULL FLIGHT

AUSTRALIA’S FINEST ARTISTS UNPLUGGED

From Brahms’ mighty Requiem to extraordinary cross-cultural collaborations – this series is designed to inspire, provoke and enjoy.

Experience the music close to the hearts of the most exciting performers in the country in this intimate solo recital series.

UNDERGROUND

SALON

EXQUISITE EARLY MUSIC WITH ATMOSPHERE

MUSIC FOR EVERYONE

Josquin, Lassus, Brumel, Tallis and more take centre stage in our new series that uncovers the magic of the Renaissance.

Step back in time to the lively 19thCentury salons where the next generation of talent were given the opportunity to shine.

MAINSTAGE

EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM

PROGRAM

CITY RECITAL HALL 2 ANGEL PLACE, SYDNEY

Thomas Tallis Sancte Deus

SAT 19 FEB, 7PM

Johannes Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn Marc’Antonio Ingegneri Tenebrae factae sunt Johannes Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem

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Experience Brahms’ mighty romantic masterpiece as a powerful chamber work in this version for an ensemble of soloists and two pianos in the superb acoustics of City Recital Hall.

The Song Company, the talented voices of our Apprentice Program and legendary pianist Gerard Willems AM collaborate with Artistic Director Antony Pitts in what is sure to be an unforgettable evening of beauty, clarity and pathos.

The program also features his major work for two pianos, the Variations on a Theme of Haydn, with Willems joined by Associate Artistic Director Francis Greep, and some of the most hauntingly beautiful a cappella music in the repertoire, including a work from Brahms’ own library of early music.

Dedicated to humankind, Brahms’ Requiem is unlike any other that came before. Written in his native German, rather than Latin, it rejects the traditional requiem mass’ focus on divine justice, rather offering hope and solace for those left behind. While the music evokes that of Schumann, Beethoven and Bach, it is also influenced by the intricate polyphony of the 16th Century yet is unmistakably Brahmsian in architecture and scale.

This performance heralds the return of choral works to the main stage and is sure to be the vocal event of the year.

THE SONG COMPANY THE SONG COMPANY APPRENTICES GERARD WILLEMS, Piano FRANCIS GREEP, Piano ANTONY PITTS, Conductor

Tickets from City Recital Hall 5

MAINSTAGE TOUR

ARMS OF LOVE

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Church Street, Newcastle THU 25 AUG, 7PM

WOLLONGONG ART GALLERY 46 Burelli St, Wollongong THU 1 SEP, 7PM

CELL BLOCK THEATRE National Art School, Darlinghurst FRI 26 AUG, 7PM

AINSLIE ART CENTRE 30 Elouera St, Braddon ACT FRI 2 SEP, 7PM

THE NEILSON ACO, Pier 2/3, Dawes Point SAT 27 AUG, 3PM

ROSINA AUDITORIUM Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford VIC SUN 4 SEP, 3PM

THE PERFORMANCE SPACE Casula Arts Powerhouse, Casula SUN 28 AUG, 3PM Project tour supported by Contemporary Music Touring Program 6

PROGRAM Dietrich Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri Chris Williams I pray the sea (World Première)

The Song Company is proud to be reuniting with choreographer Thomas E.S. Kelly in a pageant of light and movement for Membra Jesu Nostri by Dieterich Buxtehude and I pray the sea by Australian composer Chris Williams, commissioned with funding from the Silo Collective and setting words from No Friend But the Mountains by Behrouz Boochani.

Williams’s flotilla of seven short fragments and one extended final movement is interspersed with Buxtehude’s intimate 17th-century cycle of seven cantatas on the physical and spiritual aspects of the Crucifixion.

THE SONG COMPANY Chloe Lankshear, Amy Moore, Stephanie Dillon, Robert Macfarlane, Thomas Flint Hylton Mowday, soprano saxophone Jennifer Eriksson, electric viola da gamba KARUL PROJECTS, Choreography ROBERT MACFARLANE, Director ANTONY PITTS, Music Director

Tickets from: The Song Company Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

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MAINSTAGE TOUR

SONGS FROM THE HEART

PROGRAM New music by Sonya Holowell & Elizabeth Sheppard in a program co-curated with The Song Company CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Church Street, Newcastle THU 29 SEP, 7PM

THE ORATORY Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford VIC THU 6 OCT, 7PM

LENNOX THEATRE Riverside Theatres, Parramatta SUN 2 OCT, 4PM

CELL BLOCK THEATRE National Art School, Sydney FRI 7 OCT, 7PM SUN 9 OCT, 3PM

GORDON DARLING HALL National Potrait Gallery, Parkes ACT TUE 4 OCT, 7PM

WOLLONGONG ART GALLERY 46 Burelli St, Wollongong SAT 8 OCT, 3PM 8

A totally new creative collaboration between The Song Company and Indigenous composers and singers Elizabeth Sheppard and Sonya Holowell. Elizabeth and Sonya are co-creating an a cappella presentation directly inspired by the Uluru Statement from the Heart. As we journey through uncertain times, some things become more certain and necessary than ever. For all of us who live in Australia, engaging directly with the experience of our First Nations hosts is the meaningful way forward into the future.

In Songs From The Heart the text and principles underlying the Uluru Statement are the direct focus and inspiration of Elizabeth and Sonya’s musical creativity. Expect the unexpected from our unaccompanied singers on stage, confronting the past and the present with newly-created music, and be moved by its intense beauty and raw emotion.

THE SONG COMPANY Chloe Lankshear, Amy Moore, Jessica O'Donoghue, Sonya Holowell Ethan Taylor, Koen van Stade, Hayden Barrington ANTONY PITTS, Director Tickets from: The Song Company Riverside Theatres 9

NEW SERIES

SONGCO UNDERGROUND Our new NSW-based series of SongCo UNDERGROUND picks up where we started in 2021 with Byrd Underground:

★★★★★

“Celestial sounds from underground as The Song Company delivers an expert and enlightening performance in Tudor polyphony” (Limelight Magazine, 2021) Explore the glorious a cappella music in this pan-European tour that activates metropolitan spaces around Sydney and elsewhere in NSW, beginning with Josquin at the tail end of his 500th anniversary year and climaxes – via Brumel’s 12-part Earthquake Mass – with Tallis and a return to his magnificent 40-part motet Spem in alium.

★★★★★

“One could have listened to it forty more times” (Sydney Morning Herald, 2019)

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PROGRAM 1

RUMOURS OF GLORY

PROGRAM

Romano Crivici: from Dreams and Visions Orlande de Lassus: Prophetiae Sibyllarum Josquin des Prez: Missa Pange lingua Heather Percy: Locus iste (after Bruckner)

CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Church St, Newcastle TUE 15 MAR, 7PM WOLLONGONG ART GALLERY 46 Burelli St, Wollongong THU 17 MAR, 7PM

We present Josquin’s most celebrated Mass in the 500th anniversary year (according to the Julian Calendar) of his death, interspersed with the extraordinarily colourful madrigalian settings by Lassus of the writings of ancient female prophetesses or Sibyls.

THE CRYPT St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney FRI 18 MAR, 7PM SAT 19 MAR, 4PM THE ORATORY Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford VIC TUE 22 MAR, 7PM

THE SONG COMPANY Roberta Diamond, Hannah Fraser, Dan Walker, Hayden Barrington ANTONY PITTS, Director 11

PROGRAM 2

TREMORS OF EARTH

PROGRAM

Antoine Brumel: Missa Et ecce terrae motus Alice Chance: Aurora Eora Antony Pitts: Tres Antiphonae Paschae Alice Chance: Precious Colours Nicolas Gombert: Missa Tempore Paschali / Agnus Dei a 12

WOLLONGONG ART GALLERY 46 Burelli St, Wollongong SUN 24 APR, 3PM CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL Church St, Newcastle THU 26 APR, 7PM

Continuing our Grand tour of European polyphony – and our historically-informed practice of reading from original manuscript notation – we open the choirbook containing Brumel’s so-called ‘Earthquake Mass’ in 12 parts.

ST ANDREW'S CATHEDRAL George St, Sydney FRI 29 MAY, 7PM THE NEILSON ACO, Pier 2/3, Dawes Point SUN 1 MAY, 1:30PM

THE SONG COMPANY APPRENTICES with Koen van Stade, Principal Artist ANTONY PITTS, Director

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PROGRAM 3

FULLNESS OF JOY

PROGRAM

Thomas Tallis: Missa Puer natus est nobis Thomas Tallis: Spem in alium João Lourenço Rebelo: Panis angelicus David Yardley: Psalm 33 – Ye just men, have fulli joye in the Lord Brooke Shelley: Tanquam sydus matutinum

ST PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL 1 Marist Pl, Parramatta FRI 18 NOV, 7PM LOWER TOWN HALL George St, Sydney SAT 19 NOV, 7PM SUN 20 NOV, 3PM

We end our European tour with the marriage of Spanish and English soundworlds in Tallis’s sumptuous seven-part Christmas Mass, Missa Puer natus est nobis, alongside music born from both ends of the Iberian peninsula and Tallis’s own 40-part motet, Spem in alium.

THE SONG COMPANY ANTONY PITTS, Conductor

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CLOSE-UP

BECOMING BEATRIX

CHLOE LANKSHEAR FRANCIS GREEP

ALL SAINTS ANGLICAN CHURCH Cowper St, Ainslie ACT THU 24 FEB, 7PM

We all know Peter Rabbit and friends, but the tale of the woman behind the beloved children’s literature series is a treasure in itself. Becoming Beatrix tells the story of Beatrix Potter’s life and legacy; her childhood explorations, her foray into scientific research and discoveries, and her singleminded determination to protect and preserve nature that led to her founding the National Trust.

PHILLIPS HALL Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre SAT 27 FEB, 3PM MOSMAN ART GALLERY Art Gallery Rd, Mosman SUN 28 FEB, 3PM PRINCE OF WALES OPERA HOUSE* Mayne St, Gulgong NSW SAT 26 MAR, 3PM

Chloe and Francis explore Potter’s life through the biographic work of Judy Taylor and Art Song by Robert Schumann, Elliot Carter, George Crumb, Ross Edwards, Sally Whitwell, and Elena Kats-Chernin.

JAMES THEATRE Brown St, Dungog NSW SUN 27 MAR, 3PM *TIckets on sale soon 14

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LIQUID DAYS

DAN WALKER ANTONY PITTS

PHILIP GLASS’S “SINGLE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT”

Philip Glass’s iconic song-cycle from 1986 sets words by other songwriters – Paul Simon, Suzanne Vega, David Byrne, and Laurie Anderson – in his inimitable minimalist fashion, evoking both euphoria and stasis with warm harmonies and dynamic broken chords and basslines.

SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL 242 Young St, Waterloo THU 24 MAR, 7PM WESLEY MUSIC CENTRE National Circuit, Forrest ACT FRI 25 MAR, 7PM THE ORATORY Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford VIC THU 7 APR, 7PM

Singer, composer and all-round musician Dan Walker tackles this monument of contemporary culture with Antony Pitts on keys, tapping into his own teenage roots as a keyboard-player in a rock band.

This is a cycle of meditations on the power of love, time, and change.

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ENTANGLED

JESSICA O'DONOGHUE ANTONY PITTS OTHER ARTISTS TBA Immerse yourself in a world where opera, contemporary art music and early medieval music intertwine with jazz, pop and cabaret. From Jessica’s childhood beginnings with opera stars as grandparents and a jazz musician as a father, her musical journey has lured her from the grand stages of the Sydney Opera House to Woodford Folk Festival to Covent Garden, and many places in between.

SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL 242 Young St, Waterloo FRI 27 MAY, 6PM SAT 28 MAY, 6PM

Get entangled with this genrebending artist who will leave you feeling engaged and energised, engrossing you in a collage of musical styles that is less about following the rules and more about following your instincts.

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DRY MY TEARS

BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE* 30 Fingal St, Brunswick Heads NSW Date TBC

PAUL CAPSIS FRANCIS GREEP Legendary Australian performer Paul Capsis makes his debut with The Song Company in this incredibly intimate and moving recital co-curated with Francis Greep.

AVOCA BEACH THEATRE 69 Avoca Drive, Avoca FRI 22 JUL, 7PM THE NEILSON ACO, Pier 2/3, Dawes Point THU 21 JUL, 7.30PM FRI 22 JUL, 7.30PM SAT 23 JUL, 7.30PM

Together they bring their own style to the singers who have influenced Paul throughout his stellar career, such as Marianne Faithfull and Jimmy Scott, as well as looking further back to music written and inspired by Kurt Weil.

SYDNEY FILM SCHOOL 242 Young St, Waterloo FRI 29 JUL, 6PM SAT 30 JUL, 6PM SUN 31 JUL, 5PM

Don't miss this opportunity to see this icon of the Australian stage close up and unplugged.

*Performance date TBA

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SALON TOUR

VISTAS OF ITALY

PROGRAM Songs & Arias by Hugo Wolf, Hector Berlioz, Gioachino Rossini & Giacomo Puccini

THE NEILSON ACO, Pier 2/3, Dawes Point SUN 5 NOV, 3PM

Join the Ensemble Artists of The Song Company in this semi-staged, semi-serious, and totally entertaining look at 19th Century Italy from within and without.

TOUR DATES IN REGIONAL NSW TO BE ANNOUNCED

The next generation of Australian talent will shower you with vocal thrills, poignant drama and intriguing story telling in this recital for all music-lovers.

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SALON

HARK!

HARK! brings a much-needed dose of Christmas cheer to communities in Sydney – both the concert-going public and Christmas shoppers seeking an escape from commercial madness.

DATES & VENUES TO BE ANNOUNCED MID-2022

Eight of our superb Sydney-based Artists sing exquisite carols from the Renaissance and perennial audience favourites in this annual series for young and old – families are welcome! And it wouldn’t be a proper Christmas concert without the chance for the audience to join in some of the most beloved carols.

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SUPPORT GREAT ART IS SUPPORTED BY PEOPLE WHO LOVE GREAT ART.

The Song Company’s innovative programming would not exist without our audiences and our donors.

Your vital support enables The Song Company to bring the power and beauty of the human voice into your life.

As we approach 2022, every ticket purchase and every donation is as important as ever, as the company negotiates continued uncertainty, substantially reduced support from Government and increasing costs of mounting productions.

Make a tax-deductible gift today to make a real difference to your national vocal ensemble, The Song Company. the.song.company/donate

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INVEST A NEW WAY TO SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL VOCAL ENSEMBLE

The Song Company is excited to announce a new partnership with Investment Giving Australia, designed to sustain and support the company through these challenging times and into the future.

“Investment Giving” is a simple concept: investors donate the income stream from an investment, while retaining ownership of the investment itself. The income is distributed directly to The Song Company at regular intervals, allowing maximum efficiency and impact. Further benefits for investors include tax deductions for the donated investment income, and the flexibility to reallocate capital as required.

Investment Giving Australia is an independent not-for-profit organisation with the mission to maximise the impact of charities and their supporters by enabling new forms of investment-based philanthropy.

To register your interest in this innovative investment model, contact Francis Greep: (02) 9156 2783 francis.greep@song.company 21

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

APPRENTICE PROGRAM

New in 2022, The Song Company's Apprentice Program will see emerging talent from around the country being mentored by the nation’s leading professional vocal ensemble in intensive workshops, rehearsals and performances.

Apprentices will also add to The Song Company’s capacity to perform large-scale works and participate in our early music series, helping us reach a wider audience.

Apprentices will work alongside the company’s Principal Artists, who will transfer their extensive experience that has been gained “on the job” and take this learned experience back to their own communities, growing their community’s cultural capital.

You can see The Song Company Apprentices in Ein deutsches Requiem in Sydney's City Recital Hall in February and Tremors of Earth in Wollongong, Newcastle and Sydney in April.

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ARTIST DEVELOPMENT

ENSEMBLE ARTISTS

Dances of Passion “A FANTASTICAL, CATHARTIC, ESCAPIST EXPERIENCE” Limelight, March 2021

The Song Company’s Ensemble Artist program was created in 2020 to address the lack of development and professional performance opportunities for young Australian vocal artists and to enrich Australia’s future cultural landscape.

A network of mutually beneficial partnerships will expand touring opportunities to regional centres and support program elements such as co-presented performances, vocal development workshops, residencies and more.

Ensemble Artists perform traditional and contemporary repertoire in innovative ways, opening the ears and capturing the imagination of new and existing audiences.

Interested in supporting Apprentice and Ensemble Artist Programs?

Contact Francis Greep (02) 9156 2781 francis.greep@song.company 23

PERFORMANCE DIARY

SYDNEY Sat 19 Feb, 7pm Sun 27 Feb, 3pm Fri 18 Mar, 7pm Sat 19 Mar, 4pm Thu 24 Mar, 7pm Fri 29 Apr, 7pm Sun 1 May, 1pm Fri 27 May, 6pm Sat 28 May, 6pm Thu 21 Jul, 7:30pm Fri 22 Jul, 7:30pm Sat 23 Jul, 7:30pm Fri 29 Jul, 6pm Sat 30 Jul, 6pm Sun 31 Jul, 5pm Fri 26 Aug, 7pm Sat 27 Aug, 3pm Sun 28 Aug, 3pm Sun 2 Oct, 4pm Fri 7 Oct, 7pm Sun 9 Oct, 3pm Sat 5 Nov, 3pm Fri 18 Nov, 7pm Sat 19 Nov, 7pm Sun 20 Nov, 3pm

City Recital Hall Mosman Art Gallery The Crypt, St Mary's Cathedral The Crypt, St Mary's Cathedral Sydney Film School, Waterloo St Andrew's Cathedral The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Dawes Point Sydney Film School, Waterloo Sydney Film School , Waterloo The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Dawes Point The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Dawes Point The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Dawes Point Sydney Film School, Waterloo Sydney Film School, Waterloo Sydney Film School, Waterloo Cell Block Theatre, National Art School, Darlinghurst The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Dawes Point Casula Arts Powerhouse, Casula Riverside Theatres, Parramatta Cell Block Theatre, National Art School, Darlinghurst Cell Block Theatre, National Art School, Darlinghurst The Neilson, ACO Pier 2/3, Dawes Point St Patrick's Cathedral, Parramatta Lower Town Hall, Sydney Town Hall Lower Town Hall, Sydney Town Hall

Brahms Requiem Becoming Beatrix Rumours of Glory Rumours of Glory Liquid Days Tremors of Earth Tremors of Earth Entangled Entangled Dry My Tears Dry My Tears Dry My Tears Dry My Tears Dry My Tears Dry My Tears Arms of Love Arms of Love Arms of Love Songs From The Heart Songs From The Heart Songs From The Heart Vistas of Italy Fullness of Joy Fullness of Joy Fullness of Joy 24

MELBOURNE Tue 22 Mar, 7pm Thu 7 Apr, 7pm Sun 4 Sep, 3pm Thu 6 Oct, 7pm

Rumours of Glory Liquid Days Arms of Love Songs From The Heart

The Oratory, Abbotsford Convent The Oratory, Abbotsford Convent Rosina Auditorium, Abbotsford Convent The Oratory, Abbotsford Convent

CANBERRA Thu 24 Feb, 7pm Fri 25 Mar, 7pm Fri 02 Sep, 7pm Tue 4 Oct, 7pm

Becoming Beatrix Liquid Days Arms of Love Songs From The Heart

All Saints Anglican Church Ainslie Wesley Music Centre Ainslie Arts Centre Gordon Darling Hall, National Portrait Gallery

NEWCASTLE Tue 15 Mar, 7pm Tue 26 Apr, 7pm Thu 25 Aug, 7pm Thu 29 Sep, 7pm

Rumours of Glory Tremors of Earth Arms of Love Songs From The Heart

Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral

WOLLONGONG Thu 17 Mar, 7pm Sun 24 Apr ,3pm Thu 1 Sep, 7pm Sat 8 Oct, 3pm

Rumours of Glory Tremors of Earth Arms of Love Songs From The Heart

Wollongong Art Gallery Wollongong Art Gallery Wollongong Art Gallery Wollongong Art Gallery

REGIONAL NSW Sat 26 Feb, 3pm Sat 26 Mar, 3pm Sun 27 Mar, 3pm Fri 15 Jul, 7pm Jul dateTBA

Becoming Beatrix Becoming Beatrix Becoming Beatrix Dry My Tears Dry My Tears

Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre, Blackheath Prince of Wales Opera House, Gulgong* James Theatre, Dungog Avoca Beach Theatre, Avoca Brunswick Picture House Brunswick Heads*

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TICKETS & PACKAGES

SAVE 15%OFF UNTIL 31/01/22 Create your own packages and enjoy 15% off all tickets until the end of January 2022.

AVAILABLE PACKAGES SYDNEY – choose from 23 performances!

MELBOURNE – 4 complete programs CANBERRA – 4 complete programs NEWCASTLE – 4 complete programs WOLLONGONG – 4 complete programs Packages allow you to choose as many concerts in one transaction. You may still choose single tickets but these are single transactions only.

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PARTNERSHIPS Standing together on stage as musicians and creative artists feels more significant than ever. Continuing many years of collaborative music-making, we are delighted to be working with Sydney Conservatorium High School students, , community singers and music students across NSW. We will be announcing several additional collaborations in our 2022 season shortly, including with The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Festival, the Australian Jewish Choral Festival and more.

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

ARTISTIC PARNTER

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

VENUE & PERFORMANCE PARTNER

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